Chapter 114.1

“This is my child. I said no binding.”

Wen Nuan knew that Zhao Wuzhu wouldn’t keep calm, and sure enough, she couldn’t hold back on the first day.

Zhao Wuzhu looked at Wen Nuan, who was acting so superior, and immediately furrowed her brows. She had originally planned to snap back at her, but after a moment’s thought, she realized that Wen Nuan wasn’t just some small wife anymore. She couldn’t provoke her, so she changed her expression.

Zhao Wuzhu forced a smile and began to explain, “I’m just thinking of the kids, this is for their own good. I don’t mean any harm. Look at their legs, they’re not straight. They say you have to bind them when they’re little so they’ll grow up better.”

“You’re young, there’s a lot you don’t understand. If you don’t bind them now, you’ll regret it later.”

Zhao Wuzhu was eager to show she could do something for the kids, so she was determined to make a point. But seeing Wen Nuan’s uninformed look, she knew she didn’t understand how to raise children.

After all, these were her family’s grandchildren. If they weren’t, Zhao Wuzhu wouldn’t have bothered saying anything; she would have just let them act like they knew everything.

Wen Nuan didn’t show any reaction but simply smiled faintly. “Mom, I understand your good intentions, but Qinglan is a nurse, and I trust what she says. You don’t need to bind the children’s legs.”

Then, she met Zhao Wuzhu’s eyes, speaking firmly, “Not now, and not later.”

“Yes, yes, exactly, no binding the children’s legs.” Gu Qinglan, worried that her mother and Wen Nuan might start arguing, quickly stepped in between them. “Mom, you don’t need to worry about the children. They’re doing fine. Don’t bring up all this unnecessary stuff.”

Though Wen Nuan wasn’t quick to anger, it didn’t mean she didn’t have her boundaries. The children were her bottom line. If Zhao Wuzhu kept causing trouble, who knew what might happen.

Besides, her Big Brother, a regimental officer, had to listen to her sister-in-law. Where did her mom think she stood, trying to meddle in the children’s matters as soon as she arrived in the North?

No way!

If things continued this way, the family would be in chaos.

Wen Nuan glanced at Zhao Wuzhu, her tone cold as she said, “Also, about the children, I hope you won’t interfere in the future.”

She was willing to coexist peacefully with Zhao Wuzhu, but the condition was that she didn’t cause any more trouble.

If Zhao Wuzhu kept causing trouble, Wen Nuan wouldn’t give her any face. This was no longer the old family home; this was her home. She was the mistress of this house.

Zhao Wuzhu watched Wen Nuan and Gu Qinglan banter back and forth, feeling increasingly frustrated. She threw her hands up, saying, “Alright, alright. I can’t argue with you two. Do whatever you want. But if something goes wrong with the children later, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

Wen Nuan smiled at her and said, “As long as you don’t interfere, Mom, the children will be just fine.”

“Hey, you—” Zhao Wuzhu was about to retort, but just then, the two children started moving their arms and began crying loudly.

Gu Qinglan frowned, hurriedly picking up one of the children and saying, “Mom, look what you’ve done. You woke the babies up. Please, keep it down.”

“Honestly, if you can’t help, why don’t you go help Aunt Chen in the kitchen?”

Zhao Wuzhu felt utterly humiliated. She had finally found something to do, and now she was being pushed aside. With a huff, she turned toward the kitchen, her frustration evident, while the babies’ cries echoed loudly in her ears.

As soon as Zhao Wuzhu left, Gu Qinglan carried Zhou Zhou and followed Wen Nuan into the room.

Gu Qinglan noticed that Wen Nuan’s expression was calm, but she still felt the need to ask, “Sister-in-law, are you okay?”

If only her Big Brother had been home, her mother probably wouldn’t have dared to act up so much.

But from what had just happened, it was clear that Wen Nuan wasn’t about to listen to Zhao Wuzhu’s words and was treating her like nonsense.

Wen Nuan was about to feed the baby and smiled at Gu Qinglan, saying, “What could possibly be wrong with me? I’m more concerned about your mom, honestly.”

After all, Zhao Wuzhu had never been treated like this before. Even though Gu Qinglan’s Big Brother had gotten himself involved with Lin Meizhi, Gu Qinglan’s Big Brother had always listened to his mother in the past, whether it was big or small matters.

Gu Qinglan sat down with Zhou Zhou in her arms and lowered her voice, saying, “By the way, sister-in-law, my mom asked about the kids’ names earlier, but I didn’t tell her anything. Has General Lu decided on names for them?”

“They’ve been decided, and their household registration has been taken care of,” Wen Nuan nodded. “But don’t tell your mom yet. I’ll find a chance to talk to her about it.”

After the babies turned one month old, General Lu had already chosen their names. He had even asked Gu Qinghan whether there were any generational names for this generation of children. Since all the names in Gu Qinghan’s family had the character “Qing” in them, General Lu had considered this when naming the children.

The family home had a family tree, but Wen Nuan had only learned after Lele was born that girls couldn’t be added to the family tree. Only boys were allowed to be listed.

After coming to the North, Wen Nuan no longer cared about things like family lineages. After all, it was very likely that she and Gu Qinghan would never return to their hometown to settle down.

So Gu Qinghan also said that it wasn’t necessary to follow the generational naming tradition, and that Grandpa could name the children as he wished.

Gu Qinglan then asked, “So, what are Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou’s names?”

Wen Nuan chuckled softly and replied, “Bao Bao is named Lu Zhengyang, and Zhou Zhou is named Lu Zhengqi.”

Bao Bao was born at noon, exactly at twelve o’clock. Coincidentally, the Lu Family’s old house was located near Zhengyang Gate, so General Lu named him Zhengyang.

As for Zhou Zhou, the character “qi” in his name was chosen because it symbolized beauty and goodness.

Neither Wen Nuan nor Gu Qinghan had any objections. The day after General Lu gave the children their names, Gu Qinghan and Wen Nuan went to register the children’s household registration.

However, General Lu still didn’t know that the children had taken the Lu family surname. Wen Nuan planned to wait until the children’s hundred-day celebration to show the household registration book to General Lu.

She wanted to let him be happy.

However, when some people were happy, naturally, others were worried.

Wen Nuan could already imagine that Zhao Wuzhu, after finding out about this, would probably be so angry that she’d turn into a pufferfish.

After hearing Wen Nuan’s words, Gu Qinglan smiled and nodded. “It sounds nice. So the two little ones already have their full names. I’ll keep it a secret for now, so my mom doesn’t start making noise again.”

“Mm, and you should also avoid angering her too much. After all, she’s your mom,” Wen Nuan remarked.

She didn’t want to get the reputation of being a bad daughter-in-law who would sow discord between a mother and her daughter-in-law.

Gu Qinglan pouted and muttered, “Is she even a proper mother? Last time, she nearly beat me to death, and this time, she didn’t even bring it up when she came!”

Gu Qinglan had come to realize that, in her mother’s eyes, there was only one person—Gu Qingsong.

Moreover, her mother had never asked why she suddenly came to the North or inquired about how she had been living in the countryside.

All she did all day was talk about Gu Qingsong and her son, her son.

In her mind, her mother didn’t even compare to her sister-in-law.

Not to mention the matter of Wen Nuan helping her secure a military registration, but just the care and attention she had received from Wen Nuan over the years, Gu Qinglan had noticed it all and remembered it.

So, if her mother dared to cause trouble, she had already made up her mind to pack her up and send her back to their hometown.

Wen Nuan furrowed her brows. “Your mom probably won’t stay for long. Don’t argue with her. If you don’t want to deal with her, just focus on working at the hospital. Don’t waste time arguing with her.”

She knew that Gu Qinglan had been very busy recently. Before Li Yunhua left for Beijing, she had handed over a pile of materials to her, telling her to study hard and that she would be tested around the New Year.

Now that Gu Qinglan had two powerful figures, Doctor Zhao and Li Yunhua, guiding her, becoming a doctor was just a matter of time.

There was no need to waste time on Zhao Wuzhu. Wen Nuan wouldn’t let Qinglan return to their hometown and waste time on retaking the college entrance exam. She would make sure she continued her university studies.

In the future, whether she returned to the military hospital in the military district or stayed at a hospital in Beijing, it would be far better than going back to their hometown.

At the very least, she wouldn’t be endlessly drained by that brat, Gu Qingsong.

“That won’t do.” Gu Qinglan smiled. “I still have to protect my sister-in-law.”

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but laugh. “No need for that. Your mom can’t stir up much trouble. At most, she’ll just meddle in the children’s affairs.”

“Besides, in this family, it’s still your sister-in-law who calls the shots!”

There was no way Zhao Wuzhu could take charge in the North. Moreover, Wen Nuan didn’t believe she was unaware that even Gu Qinghan had to listen to her.

Gu Qinglan laughed twice. “Yes, Chief. We’ll all follow your orders.”

Lele, who had somehow wandered in, heard Gu Qinglan’s words and, smiling, hugged Wen Nuan and Bao Bao in her arms. “Mom, when did you become the Chief?”

Wen Nuan frowned and replied seriously, “Don’t listen to your Auntie rambling. A dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory.”

Lele looked at Gu Qinglan and smiled, then asked her laughingly, “Auntie, let me see your ivory. Where did you hide it?”

Gu Qinglan: “…”

“Auntie doesn’t have any ivory.”

Lele furrowed her brows and asked, “Then where’s your dog’s mouth?”

Gu Qinglan: “!!!”

“Children shouldn’t speak nonsense like that. ‘A dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory’ is just a proverb…”

Gu Qinglan then picked up Zhou Zhou and, pulling Lele along, began explaining the meaning of the proverb to the two little kids.

By the end, she quietly whispered to Lele, “Lele, you need to look after our two little babies. Don’t let Grandma feed Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou anything random, and don’t let her tie their legs up, okay?”

Although Lele didn’t fully understand, after Zhuzi was born, Wen Nuan had already taught her not to give the babies any snacks, so she remembered and nodded.

Gu Qinglan continued speaking to Lele about other matters, and the two of them looked so serious, it was as if they were preparing for a battle. One might think someone important had arrived at the house.

Wen Nuan watched them quietly plotting and couldn’t help but feel exasperated.

She interrupted them, turning to Gu Qinglan and saying, “By the way, Qinglan, since your mom is here in the North, do you want to talk to her about Da Xiang?”

That day, when the guard said someone was looking for her, she probably thought it was Li Daxiang returning.

This girl seemed to have taken a liking to Li Daxiang, so now that Zhao Wuzhu was here, it would be the perfect time to bring it up.

At the mention of this, Gu Qinglan immediately looked embarrassed and turned her head. She replied, “This matter can wait, right?”

Wen Nuan smiled, understanding that her daughter felt shy, and said, “If it’s not urgent, then it’s fine. When the time comes, we can have Big Brother help with the matter too.”

“Sister-in-law, are you teasing me?” Gu Qinglan’s face turned red, and she stomped her foot. “It might be better to just talk to my mom about it.”

Although Gu Qinglan sometimes joked around with Gu Qinghan, she was still shy when it came to matters about her children. Every time she wanted to ask about Li Daxiang, she had to go through Wen Nuan to pass on the message.

“Alright, alright, you decide what to do.” Wen Nuan looked down at Bao Bao, who had fallen back asleep, and carefully laid him down on the kang.